Forgotten Ones: Lieutenant Jee
by Evilnor
Summary: After the siege of the North Pole, Lieutenant Jee was branded a traitor and thrown in prison. The war is over now, so what could the Firelord have in mind for him?
1. The Trial

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender is the brainchild of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and is owned by Viacom. I own none of the characters in this story. If I did, I wouldn't be posting it on a fanfiction site, after all . . . they are all lovingly used without permission. This story is written solely for my personal amusement (and posted for the amusement of others) and to keep the crazy idea from boring a hole in my head, so I can get on with my life. I make no profit from this other than peace of mind!

**Forgotten Ones: Lieutenant Jee**

"Lieutenant Jee, you stand accused of conspiracy, desertion in the face of the enemy, disobedience to your commanding officer, dereliction of duty, aiding and abetting a known exile and criminal of the Fire Nation, aiding and abetting a known traitor to the Fire Nation, sedition, and treason. How do you plead?"

The grey-haired, stone-faced lieutenant stood and appraised the crowd of his court-martial. It was presided over by a panel of nine superior officers, the highest ranked serving as a judge. The audience behind him was mostly composed of junior officers and conscripts. This was a monkey-trial meant to scare the rest, presenting an example. The charges were trumped up, and the punishment would be even worse. Jee hated being made an example of, but he wouldn't dishonor himself further by lying about it.

"Guilty, sir."

"Do you realize your error and vow to serve the Firelord in all aspects of your life once more, lieutenant?" the commanding officer, a new admiral addressed him again.

Were they really going to let him off that easy? Vow allegiance to the Firelord once again and all is forgiven? Perhaps this trial wasn't meant as just a scare-tactic. That was surprising, but Jee supposed the Fire Navy was a little tight for officers after the admiral's devastating failure at the North Pole a month ago. It was Jee's very actions that made sure he was alive for this offer, after all.

The lieutenant took a deep, steadying breath, schooling his features with hard-earned control. "I made no error, sir. The decisions I made in turning my ship away from the invasion saved the lives of my crew and shipmates when the battle was already lost. I stand by my actions in that regard. As for the other matter," Jee paused and made eye contact with the current admiral, the current judge and ten years his junior, yet filling the space of the late Zhao. He wanted to punch the man for being a fool, but his words would have to do, "When I accepted my previous assignment over three years ago, I also accepted exile alongside the Fire Prince. He since earned my deepest respect and highest regard, and there is only one man I will serve now. My allegiance remains with Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation . . . sir."

The entire room went silent for a few seconds in the same shock apparent on the panel's faces, and then the murmuring erupted. It turned deafening before the admiral recovered enough to bang his polished metal gavel on the desk in front of him. "Order, order!"

The room quieted again, but Jee's eyes had never left the face of the admiral. He was studying him, waiting for the ultimate reaction to his public defiance, even though the statement would likely never officially leave this room. He hoped Zuko would eventually hear about it, though, and know that somewhere, someone could still be loyal to a good man, and that that man was Zuko himself.

"Your defiant words only underline your treason, lieutenant. The prince is a wanted man, in exile and rejected from the line of succession. You do yourself no favors by declaring loyalty to an outcast," warned the admiral. Wow, he was trying to give Jee every chance he could, wasn't he?

"There is no substitute for the truth, admiral, and it would be wrong to answer in any other fashion."

The admiral closed his eyes, as if to berate Jee for being an idiot. He looked around at his fellows on the panel, some of which were shaking their heads. "Then this court has no alternative but to find Lieutenant Jee guilty on all counts. He will be dishonorably discharged and imprisoned until this court determines a proper sentence. This court is now adjourned."

The mumbling arose again, and Jee let out another calming breath as he was escorted from the courtroom. His was only the first of several trials that day, all of soldiers who had fled the defeat at the North Pole, whether it was before or after the ocean spirit had arrived in his glowing blue glory, aided by the Avatar. When the moon had gone black, dread had overwhelmed him, and he'd ordered the ship to turn around. By the time the ocean spirit capsized the rest of the fleet, Jee's ship was well out of reach of the main onslaught. His only regret was not being able to wait for the landing party to return before they retreated.

Out of thousands of ships, the surviving vessels numbered in the double digits. Everyone who survived was either prisoner of the Northern Water Tribe by now or facing court-martial from the Fire Nation. One thing had been made perfectly clear to Jee: Zhao had been a power-mad imbecile and anyone who trusted him had to be insane or stupid.

And that included Firelord Ozai.

Unfortunately, he'd said as much, as well, gaining him the dubious honor of treason added to his laundry list of offences. The rest of the survivors would probably just get a slap on the wrist and be sent on their way to the navy outside the Earth Kingdom, judging by the hand extended to Jee. He'd have none of it, though. He was tired of fighting, tired of this war, tired of orders from people he didn't respect. Now the only two superiors he _did_ respect were rumored to be on the run through the Earth Kingdom. At least they were alive, so there was hope.

How he wished he could join them.

* * *

Seven months later . . .

There was some commotion through the prison, that much Jee could tell. The middle-aged but still steel-gray haired old soldier stood in his cell as the warden approached. "The day of your formal sentencing has come, former Lieutenant Jee," the snively little man sneered as he peered through the bars.

"It's about time," Jee shot back, "I know there's a war going on, and all, but why make a man wait so long for his punishment? The court-martial was over half a year ago!"

The warden's face contorted in confusion for a little bit, but he quickly regained his composure as a sly look crossed his face, "Oh, I see, you don't know."

"Don't know what?" the former officer asked suspiciously.

"I guess you wouldn't be up to date on current events being stuck in this hole, would you?"

"What current events?" Jee could tell that the warden had figured out some other sick little game to torment him. The little man seemed to take a sadistic pleasure from taunting his charges, especially when they were usually as stoic as Jee.

"Well, for starters, there was a shift in command just after your trial. The new admiral in command of this fleet decided that sentencing for dishonorable officers and traitors wasn't worth his time, so he promptly forgot about it, shuffling it to the bottom of his duties," the warden stated, matter-of-factly. His tone was too smug, though, and Jee could tell there was more to it than that. When the man didn't immediately let the other shoe drop and just stood there smirking, Jee finally prompted him.

"And? What made the admiral remember?"

"Oh, just a visit from the Firelord himself."

Jee's blood ran cold, "The Firelord?" he blurted in disbelief, "Visiting here?"

"My, you're a fast one, Jee."

"But this is a base in occupied Earth Kingdom lands! The Firelord wouldn't come here unless . . ." the man stopped himself, not sure whether to be elated or fearful of the answer.

"The war is over, Jee," the warden finished, "It ended over a month ago, and the Firelord is coming to oversee the sentencing of derelicts such as yourself."

This news certainly didn't bode well. Firelord Ozai was not known for his understanding or mercy. Quite the opposite, in fact. Jee had been expecting to eventually hear that he'd be moved to a larger facility for his incarceration (though he doubted his "crimes" were serious enough to warrant a place like the Boiling Rock), but with the Firelord overseeing the sentencing, probably the best he could hope for was a swift death.

"His ship is due to arrive later this morning. You've got an appointment with the barber right now," said the warden as his key turned in the lock of Jee's cell, "Can't have you looking like a wooly rhino-eel for the Firelord, can we?"

* * *


	2. Barbershop Quartet

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender is the brainchild of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and is owned by Viacom. I own none of the characters in this story. If I did, I wouldn't be posting it on a fanfiction site, after all . . . they are all lovingly used without permission. This story is written solely for my personal amusement (and posted for the amusement of others) and to keep the crazy idea from boring a hole in my head, so I can get on with my life. I make no profit from this other than peace of mind!

**Forgotten Ones: Lieutenant Jee**

The barber shop was busy today. In addition to the one normal barber, there were three more chairs set up with apprentices cleaning up prisoners. It seemed that his sentencing wasn't the only one to be overseen by the Firelord.

Come to think of it, Jee hadn't actually had his hair cut in months, and from the reflection staring back at him from the barber's mirror, he really did look like a shaggy wooly rhino-eel. The steel grey kind that had the toughest meat, no less. Oddly enough, he kind of liked the image.

Jee was broken from his appraisal by the jovial piping of the barber asking how he wanted his hair cut. He vaguely described his preferred haircut from his most recent days of service, the large traditional sideburns with the crew cut. It was a strange blending of tradition and rebellion, similar in tone to what Prince Zuko had done with his hair, only understandably less dramatic, now that the former lieutenant thought about it. When he'd had it cut that way the first time, he'd been leaving his home, just like the prince, at the request of General Iroh on a fool's mission.

With the war over, he wondered how his old commander was doing. Had he cut off his long topknot, his second most recognizable feature next to that awful scar, when he went into hiding? Not just being an exile, but being actively hunted by your own country had a tendency to make people do dramatic things. In Prince Zuko's case, it probably would've been a wise move.

Lost in thought, he barely realized that the barber was jabbering to him as he cut Jee's hair. Finally deciding to listen a little bit, he caught a snippet of the old man's gossip, "—Heard the messenger say he had a dragon. Can you believe that? I thought the creatures were extinct, the last one killed by the great Dragon of the West, but he found one!"

"I heard it's huge!" joined in one of the apprentices, "He can ride around on its back and steer it like a master rhino handler."

"Nah," the old barber denied, "It's a little thing, barely bigger than a messenger hawk. I heard that some people call him Dragon because of that little tyke."

"How can he be a Dragon if the dragon's still alive?"

"You talking about the Twin-tailed Dragon?" asked one of the guards who'd just walked in escorting another prisoner. Jee wished he could remember the young man's name, but the guards never talked with the prisoners much unless it was to berate them for some imagined offense. He'd heard plenty of jibing from them about being loyal to a spoiled outcast prince who didn't care a lick about anyone, but not their names.

Barbers, however, were a different story. They absolutely _loved_ to gossip and knew everyone's names.

"Oh, you've heard about that nickname, too, Li?"

"Of course, it's all the talk in the guardhouse! Word has it that the Dragon title is for subduing a dragon, not necessarily killing it. If he actually found an egg and tamed the little thing, that'd count, wouldn't it?"

"That's hardly a measure of firebending skill, though, is it?" another apprentice joined in skeptically.

"Dunno about that . . . it'd take a powerful firebender to have a dragon call them mamma, wouldn't it?" chuckled the barber.

"So why's he called the Twin-tailed Dragon?" the first apprentice asked the guard excitedly, nearly missing his charge's ear with his scissors.

The guard, who Jee could see through the mirror had taken a position by the door now, puffed up his chest proudly, "Well, some just call him the Wild Dragon, since people say he basically came out of nowhere, but they also say he's skilled with the twin broadswords!" Jee looked down to the guard's reflection in the mirror to see that he was also carrying twin broadswords, sheathed together in the same dull leather and brass-fitted sheath. No wonder he looked proud, if some hero also used them. "He's not just the most powerful firebender in the world, but he's a master of steel as well! He can even use firebending _with_ the swords!"

The old barber scoffed, "I've never heard of any firebender doing that. They need all their time and concentration for their bending."

"Well, it's true," the young guard looked a little put out, "My brother in the capitol says he saw him in action!"

"Who are you talking about?" Jee finally asked, confusion and curiosity getting the better of him. Despite his better judgment about listening to barbershop gossip, he'd gotten thoroughly engrossed in the conversation.

The guard looked at Jee's reflection from his position by the door, "The Firelord, of course!"

"Firelord Ozai found a dragon?" the former lieutenant blurted in disbelief and twisted in the barber's chair to look directly at the guard. He must have said it louder than he thought, because the entire room looked up at him. Jee heard some sniggering as the old barber turned him back around, gently but firmly and silently ordering him to stay still as he continued cutting off his shaggy grey mane.

"Of course not Ozai," the old barber supplied, "We're talking about the new Firelord. The one who opposed Ozai alongside the Avatar on the day of the comet and took Ozai's throne."

"I heard he taught the Avatar firebending himself," the first apprentice barber offered excitedly.

"Yeah, and I also heard he claims the bloodline of Avatar Roku," the second apprentice joined in again.

"I heard he was touched by the Spirit of Fire itself, and that's why he's so powerful. You can see it on his face, if you're lucky enough to catch a glimpse of him. Fire can even burst from his eyes, if he gets mad enough!" the last hair-cutting apprentice crowed from the far side of the room. This brought forth a hearty chuckle from the old barber who shook his head.

"And what a face I hear he's got," the young guard chimed in again, "half dragon, half human. The human half is so handsome it makes any lady swoon in desire, and the dragon half is so fearsome it makes any man tremble in fear."

"Speaking of making ladies swoon," the second apprentice spoke again, not looking up from the hair he was cutting, "He's apparently the most eligible bachelor in the world right now. He's got hordes of ladies fawning over him!"

"I hear he favors a rich noblewoman from the Earth Kingdom."

"Nah, he's got his eye on a waterbending princess. Marrying her will bring the Fire Nation and the Water Tribes closer together and cement the new peace. How romantic, water and fire living together in harmony," the first apprentice sighed distractedly, nearly lopping off his nervous charge's other ear.

"You're both wrong, he's had feelings for a certain Fire Nation lady for years. Plus he needs to solidify the support of the Fire Nation nobles, since he took the throne so young. Only way to do that is to marry a girl from home."

"Oh, you're one to give relationship advice."

"Better my advice than yours."

"Why don't you try telling the Firelord to his face about who he should date?"

"Maybe I will!"

"Hmm," the old barber considered, disconnected from the new topic of romance as his apprentices bickered over who the Firelord should marry, "maybe he _is_ part dragon. No completely mortal firebender could have the wisdom or the audacity after 100 years of that war to train the Avatar unless he was touched by the spirits. Especially one so young."

"General Iroh would've," Jee heard himself mumble.

"The Dragon of the West?" the barber had heard the mumble, "I suppose he might have, but he didn't. It was our new Firelord, that part of all the stories is clear, and the Avatar's the one who put him on the throne."

Jee wondered to himself if even the Avatar had the power to put a relative nobody on the throne of the Fire Nation, even if that man claimed a bloodline as noble as an Avatar's and controlled a dragon. He would be toppling a whole dynasty! How would Prince Zuko have felt about that? He'd probably be mortified and take it out on whoever was standing closest, maybe going so far as to storm the palace itself and demand his rightful place on the throne, if he remembered that angry teen well enough.

"So what's his name?" Jee finally asked the question that'd been nagging him as soon as the change in command of the entire nation had been made obvious.

"Umm . . ." the barber started, "I don't remember. Sozin, maybe? Firelord Sozin. Yeah, that sounds right."

The first apprentice snorted, "His name's not Sozin, master. That was the name of the comet!"

"Neither of you know anything," the third apprentice on the far side of the room rolled his eyes, "Sozin's the name of the Firelord who started the war. His name was applied to it because he used the comet's power to strike the first blow. Remember your history, geez."

"Fine," the old barber huffed. He didn't appreciate being upstaged by his two apprentices, "maybe his name isn't Sozin, but I'm sure it's got a Z somewhere in there. We'll certainly hear it later today, that's for sure."

"So you know he's got a dragon for a pet, uses twin broadswords, is half dragon, a friend to the Avatar, the descendant of Avatar Roku, wise beyond his years, and spirit touched, but you don't know his name?" Jee asked the room in general.

Everyone was silent for a second and looked around at each other. It was quite comical, actually. "Well, neither do you!" the excitable first apprentice finally accused.

"I've been stuck in a cell for seven months. I think I've got an excuse."

"Ok, you're done now, Jee. What do you think?" the old barber made a last wave of his scissors and cut the discussion short before the argument could turn more heated. He didn't wait for a response as he gestured to the young guard by the door, "Go ahead and bring in the next prisoner and take Jee back to his cell or wherever you're putting people."

"Uh, sure," the guard blinked and moved to comply.


	3. Telling Lies

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender is the brainchild of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and is owned by Viacom. I own none of the characters in this story, but I did think up the dragon, which I don't expect to be a huge surprise to anyone. What do you figure that egg-shaped golden object _that felt alive to the touch _in The Firebending Masters episode was? The rest are all lovingly used without permission. This story is written solely for my personal amusement (and posted for the amusement of others) and to keep the crazy idea from boring a hole in my head, so I can get on with my life. I make no profit from this other than peace of mind!

**Forgotten Ones: Lieutenant Jee**

The sentencing was apparently to be a semi-public affair, as indicated by the small audience gathered in the fortress' courtyard around midday. Jee's place of imprisonment for the past seven months was never really intended to be a prison. It was just a small Fire Nation fortress on Earth Kingdom soil that just happened to house the 20 or so leftovers from the ill-fated northern invasion fleet in chains.

Jee's sentencing wasn't the only one that had been postponed due to the shift in command. Most offenders, as he'd predicted, had repented and been sent off to other corners of the navy or army with a minimum of fuss, and just the special cases were left behind. Some of the people Jee could see from his position at the back of the line he thought he recognized, too. More soldiers with groundless loyalty to Prince Zuko? He doubted it, but everyone tended to look different with chains instead of armor, even people he'd sailed with for over two years.

The former lieutenant could barely hear the herald as he shouted out the reasons for the gathering. He could hear sounds, but the reverberations of the herald's voice through the metal and stone hallway made the words unintelligible as the prisoners' line started moving forward. He thought he caught some of the honorary titles of the new Firelord, but nothing else was recognizable besides "sentencing" and something about gracious attendance.

Being the last prisoner escorted out gave Jee plenty of time to study the audience. There may have been about 100 people total, half seated to each side of the center of the yard. They looked mostly like soldiers, maybe a few Fire Nation colonials as well.

What were far more interesting were the guests of honor. Jee was a very observant man, a trait which served him well in combat. Given time, he could study people and see their weaknesses. He took this time to study these important people carefully and draw conclusions. At the far end there was a raised stone platform ringed by royal guards on which sat the Firelord's palanquin, red, black and gold glittering in the midday sun. The Firelord himself wasn't visible to the crowd, the curtained chair allowing him to see out, but no-one to see anything other than a shadow. To the right of the palanquin sat a bored-looking young noblewoman in fire nation colors with shiny, elaborately-coiffed black hair who glanced to the silhouette of the Firelord once in awhile as if expecting something. To her right sat the new admiral the warden had mentioned. To the left of the palanquin sat a small girl in green and gold whose black bangs covered her face. While the taller young woman sat on a soft-looking cushion, the younger girl seemed far more comfortable sitting directly on the hard stone of the platform. The warden, who actually held the rank of captain, stood to the left of the girl in green.

The ex-lieutenant held back a smirk at the thought of the cruel warden not being allowed to sit at his prisoners' sentencing.

As Jee took his position standing at the back of the prisoners, a movement in the sky not too far from the sun caught his eye. Squinting his eyes, at first Jee thought it was just a messenger hawk, but the way it flew was too strange, a sort of twisting and curling flight in circles, reminiscent of a snake through water. The body was far too thin as well, he realized, when the analogy of the snake occurred to him. When a sharp whistle sounded, the strange creature gave a squeaky roar audible from the ground and interrupted its dance to dip low and rocket itself into the palanquin where it quickly curled itself around the silhouette of the Firelord. It was a fast little creature, but Jee thought he caught a glimpse of red and gold in between its dance by the sun and disappearance into the curtained chair.

Could that possibly have been the dragon the rumors spoke of? And did he see the Firelord's shadow . . . _petting_ it just then?

Letting the image he'd just seen sink in, Jee almost missed the warden's barked command for the prisoners to prostrate themselves before the Firelord. Consequently, a vindictive guard standing behind him surreptitiously punched him in the side and forced him to his hands and knees like the rest of the prisoners. This apparently didn't go unnoticed, as with a quick glance back at the platform, he noticed the gloomy girl's eyes had been drawn to the grey haired prisoner. He quickly diverted his gaze back to the ground, but not before he noticed her lean to her left and murmur something.

The proceedings started with little more fanfare as the warden called out the name of the first few prisoners. The former soldiers crawled forward as the charges against them and verdict were read, since they all were accused of the same thing: sedition against Firelord Ozai and dereliction of duty at the North Pole, guilty.

"Your sentence is six months of hard labor in the Zhong Feng coalmines," the admiral stated, referring to the list on the small desk before him. He then turned his head to peer at the shadow of the Firelord. "But as per the Firelord's decree, you will each be given a chance to defend yourself and explain your offenses. Ying, stand and present your account."

The first ex-soldier looked up at the admiral suddenly and froze, eyes wide like a rabbit-deer caught in a spotlight.

The bored young woman spoke, "If you don't want to tell the Firelord your story, you'll be sent to the mines anyway. And he'll know if you're lying."

Startled out of his bewilderment, Ying gulped loudly and stuttered, "I-I was with one of the l-landing parties for the northern invasion. I was a new c-conscript and barely knew my way around a polearm, s-so when the m-moon went dark and that b-b-blue m-m-monster came out, I . . ." he took a deep breath and visibly calmed, "I hid in one of the Water Tribe houses and there was a young girl there. My orders were to kill anyone I found, but she was only eight or so. I have a sister about that age back home. I just couldn't do it. When the retreating parties found me moments later and the sergeant told me to kill the girl, I refused and called Firelord Ozai a child killer for sanctioning those orders. Those are my reasons, your highness," and with that, the young man bowed his head again.

The gloomy young woman looked to her left, but both the Firelord and the girl in green made no sound or movement. The girl in green was just staring forward, Jee noticed, her gaze vacant behind her bangs, as if she had no eyes. Why was a girl like that up there beside the Firelord?

"Your testimony will be considered," said the admiral, as the girl beside him said nothing. "Gichi, you're next. Present your argument."

The man named Gichi was middle-aged and presented his argument confidently and calmly, a complete contrast to the young man before him, but his story was similar except for the circumstance of youth in the prior story. Jee knew the man was lying. Even though they technically weren't allowed to talk in the yard (and weren't let out all at the same time often), Gichi was known for his loud mouth. He'd hid away on a ship near the back of the fleet instead of the one he'd been assigned in order to avoid combat and cursed Ozai's name days later when he came down with a fever for standing too close to the cold hull for two days. Nobody else seemed to notice as the girl—whom Jee realized now looked blind—shook her head slightly.

The Firelord's silhouette hadn't moved except to stroke the dragon who'd settled in his lap every so often, but the gloomy girl was sharp and nodded subtly to the admiral who made a mark by the prisoner's name on his list.

The stories continued in much the same fashion, with the warden calling forward all the prisoners with the same charges against them as a group and the admiral allowing each to tell their stories. The blind girl never spoke, occasionally nodding or shaking her head slightly, the Firelord neither spoke nor moved much, and the most bored-looking of the royal party kept glancing to her left and nodded once in awhile, seeming to receive signals nobody else even realized were coming.

The charges escalated quickly until mid-afternoon when it finally became Jee's turn. Nobody had the same charges laid against him, so the steely-haired veteran stood before the Firelord alone. The same vindictive guard as before forced Jee to his hands and knees when he didn't prostrate himself on his own.

"You have been charged and convicted with conspiracy, desertion in the face of the enemy, disobedience to your commanding officer, dereliction of duty, aiding and abetting a known exile and criminal of the Fire Nation, aiding and abetting a known traitor to the Fire Nation, sedition, and treason," stated the admiral, "My, that's quite the list. You have the chance to explain yourself, Jee."

"It's a long story. May I stand?"

The gloomy girl's bland voice cut through the admiral's refusal, "Let him stand. This should be interesting."

Jee could hear the guard step aside and inwardly smiled. He stood up and affected a military attention as best he could while still manacled and openly gazed from the admiral to the glossy-haired young woman to the blind girl before settling his gaze on the shadow of the Firelord. Taking a breath, he began.

"I am an old soldier. I entered my prime serving General Iroh at the 600-day siege of Ba Sing Se and distinguished myself in combat, and I like to think that the general grew to trust me as well. I was there when he broke the siege after the death of his only son and returned home soon after. When I got home as well, I found that my wife had died to illness and my own son had been conscripted only to die in battle.

"It was about three and a half years ago now that I accepted a request from the Dragon of the West to come with him and follow his nephew, the Fire Prince into exile. I had nothing left for me at home, after all, and General Iroh was still quite respected, a hero of the Fire Nation. He had hand-picked me and several others to crew a small military ship for the prince, who I quickly learned to consider as a spoiled, angry child," at this comment, a look of amusement ghosted across the gloomy young woman's face, and the blind girl bit back a snorting laugh, but the shadow betrayed nothing, "but his determination was second to none, as if the Spirit of fire itself burned within him. He searched and trained tirelessly for his mission of capturing the Avatar to regain the honor he had never really lost and return home, but even when his goal was in sight, time and again he put the safety of his crew before his mission and his mission before his personal safety. I watched as he saved the helmsman's life during a brutal storm and ordered the ship to safety as the Avatar flew away above the clouds. In those last few months, I gained a grudging respect for the young prince.

"When Admiral Zhao conscripted the Fire Prince's crew for the North Pole invasion including myself, I had no choice but to leave. I was put in command of a ship carrying a landing party, and on the second night of the invasion, we were one of the first ships on the shore. By this point, though, having viewed Zhao as a rival in the prince's hunt for the Avatar and learning that he was responsible for the attempt on his life as well, I had no loyalty to the admiral. I had a bad feeling about that night, and I was proven correct when the moon itself turned red. I ordered the ship off the beach immediately, and then the full moon disappeared from the sky. That's when the blue monster came. Some said it was the ocean spirit, enraged at the loss of its lover, but regardless, it wiped out the invasion fleet. By that time, my ship was far enough away to avoid damage, and when the spirit faded, I scoured the wreckage of the fleet to search for survivors. As I did so, I cursed Zhao's foolishness and Firelord Ozai for trusting the madman who unleashed such a monster on his own fleet.

"As for the traitors I'm accused of helping, General Iroh and Prince Zuko, I didn't even have a chance to help them after they'd been branded as such. The charges against me were trumped up to make an example of me and emphasize my connection to those two, but if given the opportunity, I would have helped them. When the rest of the Fire Nation blindly followed power-hungry, half-mad leaders, those two had the courage and honor to do the right thing. Do what you wish with me, but I decided then and there that I will follow and bow to no man other than Fire Prince Zuko. And that, your highness, is my story."

The entire courtyard gasped at Jee's words of defiance, save for the ones on the platform, and the crowd started murmuring with some snickering thrown in here and there. The admiral looked like he wanted to slap his forehead but instead just shook his head, "Idiot," Jee could hear him mutter. The gloomy girl was not-quite-smiling in a _quite_ amused fashion, while the blind girl in green looked a little bemused, but smiling, almost grinning.

"Get this," the young girl said, turning her face to the figure on the palanquin as if she was about to tell the best joke in the world, "He's _completely serious._"

It was then that Jee noticed the slight shuddering of the Firelord's silhouette, as if he was shaking in rage . . . or trying not to laugh?

"You mean you really don't know?" the gloomy girl asked, her voice almost laughing at him.

Jee was becoming thoroughly confused. He wasn't sure what reaction he'd expected to his insubordination, but _laughter_ certainly wasn't it. Execution on the spot for defying the Firelord to his face might've been closer.

"Fire Prince Zuko is no more, but for your unflinching loyalty to him, the current Firelord would grant you a private audience aboard his ship this evening. Admiral," the Firelord's apparent mouthpiece nodded to the man to her right, not quite keeping a straight face, "It's all yours from here."

The former lieutenant blinked as this information sunk in. So Zuko hadn't survived his exile after all . . . Jee was horrified . . . and these people had _laughed _about it? The entire courtyard had!

Stuck in thoughts of what choice words he'd say to the new Firelord, Jee barely heard the admiral talking: "—New Firelord wishes it known that any treason against former Firelord Ozai is not considered treason to him, considering such disloyalty deserved. Desertion or dereliction at the North Pole invasion shall also be pardoned considering the commander of those forces at the time was clearly insane and a traitor himself. That completely pardons most of you.

"Lying to the Firelord, on the other hand, is a crime usually punishable by death, but in the spirit of the new peace, those who have lied to the Firelord today will instead carry out their sentence stated before their opportunity to give testimony." The admiral then read off the handful of names of the liars to be taken back to their cells (Gichi was included) and instructed the guards to remove the shackles of the rest of the prisoners . . . excluding Jee.

The newly freed prisoners proceeded to cheer at their new Firelord as his palanquin flanked by guards and followed by the two girls was carried out of the courtyard toward the docks, soon leaving the grizzled veteran in chains and the one guard watching him as the only ones left in the courtyard.

Jee watched as the magnificent curtained chair faded from view, turning a raised eyebrow to the guard beside him as a thought struck him, "So why aren't I dead right now?"

The guard shrugged.


	4. Dragon Lady

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender is the brainchild of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and is owned by Viacom. I own none of the characters in this story, but I did think up the dragon, which I don't expect to be a huge surprise to anyone. What do you figure that egg-shaped golden object _that felt alive to the touch _in The Firebending Masters episode was? The rest are all lovingly used without permission. This story is written solely for my personal amusement (and posted for the amusement of others) and to keep the crazy idea from boring a hole in my head, so I can get on with my life. I make no profit from this other than peace of mind!

**Forgotten Ones: Lieutenant Jee**

It wasn't even an hour later when Jee found himself being marched through the docks by two guards and the warden. He didn't think much of the company, but at least the walk was refreshing. He hadn't been outside his dark, solitary cell much in the past months, after all, and it gave him plenty of time to think and observe his immediate destination: the Firelord's royal flagship.

The ship was easily ten-times the size Prince Zuko's tiny ship had been. That little dingy (compared to this behemoth) had been over 20 years older than its owner, definitely outdated, but this ship spoke of the latest technologies and the newest designs, apart from the airships Jee had heard about. The command tower resembled a pagoda, complete with red roofing plates and golden edging, and the prow boasted a gold-plated stylized dragon, making this ship the epitome of royal sailing ships. In a distracted moment, he wondered what it must be like to serve on a ship like that, but he quickly extinguished that thought. This was the ship of the new, upstart Firelord, a man who'd been put into place by the Avatar and ignored the laws of succession, the laws which would rightfully have Zuko be the Firelord, if he still lived. And this man and his advisors had . . . had _laughed_ at the prince's death!

Jee could feel the anger rise in his throat like fire from a dragon's lungs as he watched the familiar form of a sky bison lift off the royal flagship and disappear into the distance. How _dare_ he! That little kid, no matter how powerful, shouldn't have been able to put whomever he wanted on the Fire Nation throne. Even with Zuko dead, there were still laws to follow, paths of succession to tread, even if it meant putting Zuko's sister in charge instead. The prince wouldn't have been able to argue with the legality of that, even if he hated his sister as much as Jee had gathered from the few times he'd even speak of her.

Not for the first time, the old veteran wondered what the purpose of this "private audience" would be. Maybe sentencing him to death immediately after his defiance wouldn't have been in line with the Firelord's "new peace" but throwing him overboard while wearing heavy manacles in a quiet manner would be? Only the two of them would ever know about it, and who would miss a former lieutenant who'd bordered on being a rebel? It's certainly what previous Firelords would have done.

When they finally reached the top of the gangplank, there was no one there to greet them. As a matter of fact, the ship looked practically deserted. The magnificent palanquin sat in a place of honor on the top of a platform at the base of the command tower, but the curtains were parted, and it appeared devoid of any occupant save for a collection of rich red, black and gold fabric.

"You guys are early," came a cold voice from one side of the palanquin, and out stepped the elegantly-coiffed young woman from before, "Nobody sent for you yet."

"Apologies, my lady," started the warden somewhat nervously, "you didn't specify what time you wanted to see the prisoner, so I thought—"

"Oh that's cute. You thought. Alert the scribes, we've got a thinker here."

Jee did his best to hide his smile, and one of the guards behind him less-successfully hid a snicker. The warden glanced around sharply to glare at the offender, but the three taller men behind him all wore straight faces.

"Did you also _think_ that the Firelord wanted an invited guest chained up?" even with the emphasis on the word "think" the young woman's voice hadn't heated up. She remained cold as ice. Despite himself, Jee started to feel a little intimidated. He got the impression this girl wasn't one to be trifled with.

"But—he's a prisoner! He's a dangerous firebender, and he could—"

"So's the Firelord. You think he can't handle himself against anyone foolish enough to attack him?" the woman's cold expression was now a glare straight at the warden. Her pale gold eyes drilled into him like daggers, and the warden visibly squirmed, his armor seeming five sizes too large for him now. "Lose the shackles."

The two guards looked at the warden, then Jee, and back again before the warden squeaked, "You heard the lady!" and then in a more controlled, if strained whisper pitched for the ex-lieutenant, "Just don't try anything funny, Jee."

As the guards removed the manacles, the serious young woman seemed to lose interest in the newcomers for the moment and turned to investigate the contents of the palanquin. She picked up the heavy fabric from the chair and sighed in either exasperation or resignation (it was hard to tell the difference with her) and muttered something about housewives the veteran barely caught. When she held the fabric up and folded it over one arm, it quickly became apparent that it was actually the Firelord's heavy outer robes, which had been dumped across his even heavier black and gold collar. She carefully lifted up the collar just enough to look underneath and cracked a ghost of a smile. "Building a nest already, little one?"

There was a mewling growl from beneath the collar, and a small, whiskered reptilian head poked out and yawned sleepily. It puffed out a small flame and licked the girl's hand before retreating back into its makeshift den.

"Come on, I know he left it nice and warm for you, but I've got to put his stuff away before some idiot tries stealing it, or you burn it. Up you get, Fang." The girl unceremoniously lifted the royal collar and balanced it over the robes, fully revealing the baby dragon who squeaked in protest. It was a wondrous little thing, mostly red with golden eyes, budding golden horns, and golden highlights along its jaws and down to the hairy tip of its tail. When she reached down to grab said tail, the little dragon snapped at her hand, which she pulled back quickly.

"Fang! Don't you do that! Really, you should know better by now." It was surprisingly easy to hear the annoyance in her voice when she scolded the little thing.

Fang cringed and whimpered a little at the girl's voice, but appeared to be completely awake now. Despite the creature's obvious youth, it seemed to know exactly what she meant with her tone. It lifted off from the cushioned palanquin to snake around her shoulders and lick her cheek, growling and squeaking apologetically.

"That's better," the girl said, stroking the little dragon's long, scaly neck. She reached into a loose sleeve and pulled out a small treat, which the dragon snapped down eagerly, growling contentment. Then she sighed, looking down at the collar and robes balanced over one arm, "What am I going to do with you?" She then looked up, straight into Jee's eyes, as if expecting an answer.

Jee rubbed his freshly freed wrists, not sure how to respond. Erring on the side of caution, he settled for, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," she ignored the warden who stood off to the side attempting to catch her attention and approached uncomfortably close to Jee. She didn't seem to be threatening. As a matter of fact, she seemed rather at ease, but she'd have to be pretty dense not to pick up on the nervousness of the men around her. Her glare wasn't hard this time, but it did contain a great deal of boredom, as if she really didn't feel like explaining herself, "You're a guest, but you're early. The Firelord just left, so you can't have your meeting yet. What am I going to do with you?"

Jee certainly wasn't used to dealing with teenage girls, and definitely not ones in positions of power, as this girl clearly acted, so he stuck with the basics, "Well, if I'm a guest, I suppose introductions are in order . . . my lady?"

She raised one eyebrow slightly and appeared to think it over. "I'm Mai," she said finally, then gestured to the dragon curled comfortably around her shoulders, "and this is Fang."

"My name is Jee. A pleasure to meet you, miss," Jee said, and executed a formal Fire Nation bow, knuckles of his right fist held in front of him against his vertical left palm. The dragon made a displeased croaking roar. "And, uh, Fang," he amended bowing quickly again, which seemed to satisfy the little creature.

"The pleasure's all yours," Mai waved dismissively and turned away, then appeared to think better of it and turned back, shoving the heavy robe and collar into Jee's arms. "While you don't have anything better to do, you might as well help me carry this. The rest of you can go."

The warden and the guards exchanged looks, "But my lady," the warden protested, "we're here to escort the prisoner until the Firelord gives him a sentence! We can't just leave him unsupervised on the Firelord's ship! What if he tries sabotage, or attacking you, or—"

"Jee, would it be rude for a guest to attack his hostess or damage his gracious host's vessel?" Mai's faintly annoyed gaze was back on the warden, pinning him like a butterfly. She now had her arms crossed, amplifying the effect.

"Very rude, miss."

"And would you, as a man of honor and former soldier under General Iroh and Prince Zuko, be inclined to be so rude and disruptive to your host?"

"Of course not, miss. You have my word."

"There, you see?" Mai concluded, "He's the perfect officer and gentleman, just like the Firelord said he'd be. You wouldn't be calling the Firelord a liar, now, would you, captain?"

The warden swallowed, clearly intimidated but trying to avoid showing the fact, "Of course not, my lady. We'll just escort him back to the fort, then, and wait for a summons from the Firelord."

"Oh, he won't need an escort," Mai gestured nonchalantly, and the implications of this statement made Jee's blood run cold, and his eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion. So they were going to silence him anyway, huh? He'd see about that . . . "Since he's already here, he might as well stick around. And he's not your concern anymore, either. He's a guest, not a prisoner. Like I said, you guys can go."

"I'm afraid I can't do that—"

A streak of red and silver shot past the warden's ear: a superbly-aimed throwing knife. Jee had barely seen the girl move, and the dragon was now also glaring at the warden, growling.

"Ok, now I'm afraid I can," the snively man practically squeaked, "Guards, note that we're leaving the prisoner in Lady Mai's custody, and he's now the Firelord's responsibility!" With that, the visibly shaken warden and his guards miraculously left the ship without breaking into a dead run.

Jee couldn't help but smile, "I've been wanting to put that kind of look on that man's face for months! You've just made my day, miss."

"The day's not over yet, Jee."

Again, the steel-haired veteran was stricken with a sense of foreboding. "So, when do you plan on killing me?" he asked the question that had been nagging him since the palanquin left the fort.

Mai raised her eyebrow again and looked at him. "If there's one thing my mother taught me, it's that killing or maiming your guests is rude, and rudeness to guests can't be tolerated."

"So you'll wait until I'm not a guest anymore?"

Mai sighed, "Look, if you're so intent on dying, the harbor's pretty deep here, and the railing's not that tall. The Firelord wouldn't be happy when he gets back, but I'm sure he'd understand."

"You'd tell him I was a coward?"

"No, I'd tell him he was stupid for leaving before you got here and letting you drown yourself." She started moving to the conn tower while she talked, and Jee naturally followed.

"And he wouldn't blast your head off for it?"

"He'd better not."

Jee blinked, trying to process all he knew about this girl so far. One, she could speak for the Firelord on official business, two, she picked up after him, three, she was intimidating and deadly with hidden throwing knives, and four, she could berate him with apparently no remorse. "So who are you, his adviser, his maid, his bodyguard, or his babysitter?" he asked before he could stop himself. He seemed incapable of doing so today, much to his chagrin.

Mai didn't seem to really mind the question, "A little of all those, I guess. I'm his girlfriend."

He let out an amused snort. One didn't normally think of a powerful monarch to have something as simple or mundane as a steady girlfriend. Courtesans fawning all over him, arranged marriages, or mistresses, certainly, but nothing like a normal relationship where the girl could be on equal footing. _Judging by her apparent age,_ Jee thought, _the Firelord must still be pretty young, too. _

"What, was that funny or something?" Mai had stopped at the tower door and half-turned to look back at her charge.

_A little bit, yeah. _"Not at all, miss. The Firelord has good taste: a strong woman who can watch his back, even against himself."

This seemed to satisfy her, and he caught her half-smile before she turned back to the open door. "Maybe. Follow me. Let's put that stuff away."


	5. String Theory

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender is the brainchild of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and is owned by Viacom. I own none of the characters in this story, but I did think up the dragon, which I don't expect to be a huge surprise to anyone. What do you figure that egg-shaped golden object _that felt alive to the touch _in The Firebending Masters episode was? The rest are all lovingly used without permission. This story is written solely for my personal amusement (and posted for the amusement of others) and to keep the crazy idea from boring a hole in my head, so I can get on with my life. I make no profit from this other than peace of mind!

**Forgotten Ones: Lieutenant Jee**

Mai didn't appear to be very social on her own, and as a matter of fact, she didn't even look behind her to check if Jee was following as she led the way to the Firelord's quarters. This quiet gave the veteran plenty of time to study his escort, though. She had features of classic Fire Nation nobility and carried herself lightly, like a trained fighter, which Jee had no doubt about. Even her clothes hinted at this fact, being more like a billowing pantsuit than a girly dress. It certainly wasn't uncommon for certain levels of nobility (the smarter ones) to train their sons and daughters in self-defense and beyond. The royal family itself was renowned for producing the most powerful firebenders in the world, after all. So where did that leave this lady and her boyfriend? Lesser, but gifted, nobility climbing the social ladder, perhaps? The young man attaching himself to the Avatar had certainly accomplished that . . . even if he was apparently thought of as a hero in his own right.

When they reached the Firelord's quarters, Jee couldn't help but compare them to what he remembered of Zuko's back on his outdated little ship. The room was almost as Spartan, but the trappings were much higher quality and more comfortable-looking, and the room itself far larger. There was even a pair of dual-broadswords displayed on the far wall and a small meditation table adorned with candles against another wall. There were some interesting additions, though, including three armor stands, one empty, one displaying a lavishly decorated black, red, and gold ceremonial suit fit for a Firelord, and the last sporting a comparatively plain, lightweight, and practical suit in black and gold. As an odd juxtaposition, a sungi horn sat on a weather-beaten sea chest not too far away.

As Mai retrieved the robe and collar from him and proceeded to deposit them on the empty armor stand in the corner, Jee's attention was drawn more closely to the meditation table. What struck him funny about it was the number of candles. Jee could barely concentrate enough to meditate with two, and Prince Zuko had only managed four by the time they'd parted ways, but if what he saw was any indication of this young man's power and control . . . "Does the Firelord really meditate with this many candles, miss?"

Mai looked up from the armor stand to see what he was talking about. "Yeah, he does. One for every finger, he says. It's not very exciting to watch, though, unless you like seeing him breathe and move his hands." A wisp of a wistful, mischievous smile had invaded Mai's face again, but she blinked and it was gone.

Ten candles, huh? "Amazing . . ."

"If you say so," Mai shrugged noncommittally, "Come on, I'll give you a tour of the ship and have the cook make us some snacks. You must be starved for something besides prison food. Then we can wait up on deck for him to get back."

"That's very kind of you, miss," Jee said as they left the Firelord's lavish-yet-oddly-practical quarters behind.

"Don't thank me yet. The cook's sort of new."

"Like you said, anything's better than prison food."

Mai made a slightly disgusted face, "You haven't had my mother's cooking."

"That bad, huh?"

"My dad wouldn't even feed it to the rhinos, if that gives you any idea."

Jee grimaced. Komodo rhinos had a reputation for being walking garbage disposals . . . but he suspected that was about par for the course for that tier of society, and that would be the big reason they hired cooks, after all. His own wife had been an excellent cook, but that time was long passed.

After placing her order in the galley, Mai proceeded to give Jee a comprehensive tour of the entire ship, including the captain's quarters (which seemed unadorned), the engine room, boiler room, rhino pens, and even the command deck. The Firelord's ship was every bit as magnificent as the outside would lead one to believe.

If he was still a prisoner, sensitive areas like the engine room and the command deck would have been strictly off-limits, so Jee took this as a sign that he was genuinely welcome aboard and not about to be killed. It put him marginally at ease in the same space that it surprised him.

The ship had been surprisingly empty, too, which Mai explained as the majority of the crew having shore leave right now. Only the skeleton crew and a few guards were left. Jee tried to remember the last time he'd had shore leave under Prince Zuko and couldn't. Music night was the closest he could come. It had all been too hectic those last few months when they'd been hot on the Avatar's trail after nearly three years of nothing. Zuko had pushed them so hard they barely would've had time to breathe if it hadn't been for his uncle's calming influence.

When the tour was over, Mai and Jee were back on the main deck, complete with chairs and a tray of delicious snacks, which Jee tried not to gobble down too hungrily, a sense of decorum the little dragon didn't share as it wolfed down its own food. The cook might've been new, but he was good.

The two of them managed to make some small-talk about weather back home in the Fire Nation, how nice it was to see the open sky again (he managed to learn that Mai had been stuck in a prison for a short while as well), the state of the ship, etc., but there still remained one question burning in his mind since that afternoon. "So, you seem to know a lot about recent things, don't you, Mai?" he started slowly.

"More than you, I guess."

"You said earlier today that Prince Zuko was no more. Do you know what happened to him?"

Mai put down her drink on the snack tray, almost succeeding in distracting from the slight smirk that found itself on her lips, "That's an interesting question."

"Do you know?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then what happened? How did he die?"

"Why do you automatically assume he's dead?"

"Knowing Prince Zuko, do I really need to say?"

"Fair enough," the girl conceded after a measured glance, "I'll tell you. I assume you already know that he survived the assassination attempt Zhao planned and want to be filled in everything that happened after the northern fleet was destroyed, right?"

"That'd be nice."

"Alright. Well, first off, he and his uncle drifted for a few weeks and found themselves back in the Earth Kingdom."

"Yeah, I heard about that part. They got a wanted poster and everything. The guards waved it in my face a few times, trying to taunt me." _A few of them left with broken noses after some of the accompanying comments, too._

Mai nodded, "Well, unfortunately for him, his sister, Princess Azula also found them there and was told to bring them both back to the Fire Nation in chains. She chased both of them through the Earth Kingdom while simultaneously chasing the Avatar, too, as a secondary prize. Some say Zuko lost himself in the wilderness, others say he made it to Ba Sing Se where he disappeared. The official records said for awhile that he killed the Avatar under Ba Sing Se just before its fall and returned home to his father as a hero. That was about four months ago."

"But that's not true. The Avatar's alive! He stopped the war, and I just saw his bison a few hours ago!"

"Well, the official record was Azula's report, after all. Of course it was a lie, and Firelord Ozai ate it up."

Jee was confused, "Why would the princess lie about the Avatar's death?"

The bored-looking girl shrugged, gazing out over the water, "Who knows? The point is, once the Avatar led the invasion of the capitol on the day of the eclipse, it was obvious he wasn't dead anymore, and Zuko took the blame. Bam," she clapped her hands together in a move so sudden it made the veteran jump, "no more Fire Prince."

"You mean . . ." Jee swallowed as he took this in, "he was executed?" His brain glossed over the fact that a) apparently the Earth Kingdom capitol had fallen, and b) the Fire Nation capitol had been invaded. The revelation of Zuko's execution by his own people was even worse than what Jee had imagined. Dying alone in the wilderness might have been preferable to returning home to everything he wanted, only to have it all taken away again just as quickly.

Mai shrugged again, "You might want to ask the Firelord that." She nodded toward the distance, "There's the Avatar's bison."

Jee looked in the direction indicated, and sure enough, the silhouette of a giant flying bison was slowly gaining size above the southern horizon. It was eerie, having spent so long chasing that shape only to see it voluntarily coming toward him now.

"If I can ask, why did he take off, anyway?"

"Don't know. Aang was talking about picking up some friends nearby for dinner, so I guess he talked him into going along. That kid hates to be alone, and his girlfriend went into town for some shopping."

As the bison came closer, a smaller figure separated from it and sprouted wings. A few seconds later, the unfamiliar blue-winged glider could clearly be seen carrying a very familiar form in orange and yellow. In no time, the young Avatar himself touched down right beside Mai and Jee as they stood and started animatedly talking to Mai as if her companion for the last few hours didn't exist.

"You'll never guess who's joining us for dinner, Mai!" the airbender boy started without preamble.

"Ty Lee?" Mai returned, face expressionless.

Aang's face fell, amazingly expressive and innocent for a boy who'd just brought the Fire Nation to its knees a month ago. In spite of all that, he was still just a kid. "How'd you know?"

Mai flicked a finger right in the middle of the blue arrow on the boy's forehead, "You went to Kyoshi Island to pick up Sokka and Suki, and Ty Lee lives there now, too, genius. There's no way she'd be left behind."

The boy looked sheepish for a second, "Oh yeah, I forgot you knew that . . ." then he looked up and appeared to notice Jee for the first time and smiled broadly, "Hi there, I'm Aang. Are you a friend of Mai's?" he asked, holding out his hand to the tall man.

Jee glanced down at the small hand disdainfully, then proceeded to ignore it, instead glaring at the little bald monk.

After a drawn out, uncomfortable silence, Aang's face slowly became uneasy and he retracted his hand. "Oooooooh kay . . ." a flash of suspicion or recognition flitted across his face as he said, "Have we met before or something?"

Jee's face was stone. He was trying very hard not to let his hostility toward the tattooed boy show, and it was taking every ounce of willpower he had. Months of chasing this boy after years of no sign, then watching him destroy an entire Fire Nation fleet with no effort had certainly left an impression on the former officer. Add to that his fury at this boy's responsibility for the further disgrace and death of his most respected commander, as well as the fact he put a usurper on the Fire Nation throne, and Jee figured he had every reason to cook the Avatar where he stood. He was the reason for all of it.

Mai almost seemed to be enjoying the tension, "Lieutenant Jee, this is Avatar Aang. Aang, this is Jee. Lieutenant Jee used to serve on Zuko's ship when he was chasing you," she supplied, amusement evident in her voice only to the trained ear.

Aang snapped his fingers and the happy-go-lucky smile returned, "Oh right, that's why you looked familiar! Are you here for dinner, too?"

"Yeah," Jee cracked a dangerously false smile and subtly shifted his weight, disguising his preparation as slight relaxation, "I think I'll ask for roast squab!" With that, he launched a fire blast from his fist straight to the Avatar's face.


	6. Wrath of the Firelord

Author's Note: I want to thank everyone who's reviewed and encourage those who read but didn't review to leave a review now :D I've been tickled to get them, honestly! And I do appreciate long reviews, as it lets me know you've been paying attention ;) Some have commented that Mai seems to be enjoying herself a lot with her deception, and I totally agree . . . she must at least have a mild sadistic streak in her to put up with Azula for so long. After the start of season 3 where Mai is openly pursuing Zuko, I became convinced that there's a whole lot more to that girl than most people her credit for. She's a stable ground for Zuko's volatile nature, and they both know each other quite well. It's a unique relationship that they both seem to appreciate. But anyway, this fic isn't about "Maiko." Without further ado, on to the much-anticipated finale!

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender is the brainchild of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and is owned by Viacom. I own none of the characters in this story, but I did think up the dragon, which I don't expect to be a huge surprise to anyone. What do you figure that egg-shaped golden object _that felt alive to the touch _in The Firebending Masters episode was? The rest are all lovingly used without permission. This story is written solely for my personal amusement (and posted for the amusement of others) and to keep the crazy idea from boring a hole in my head, so I can get on with my life. I make no profit from this other than peace of mind!

**Forgotten Ones: Lieutenant Jee**

Aang snapped his fingers and the happy-go-lucky smile returned, "Oh right, that's why you looked familiar! Are you here for dinner, too?"

"Yeah," Jee cracked a dangerously false smile and subtly shifted his weight, disguising his preparation as slight relaxation, "I think I'll ask for roast squab!" With that, he launched a fire blast from his fist straight to the Avatar's face.

* * *

The boy was quick, though, and dodged the point-blank shot before it could even singe him. The little dragon squawked in surprise and darted for cover behind Mai's shoulder, but in contrast, the girl seemed completely at ease and just sat back to watch the show.

Jee continued his relentless assault, launching blast after blast to the airbender, which he either deflected off the side of the ship or just dodged. The entire deck was theirs to move around in, and the boy made the most of it, moving faster than any human should be able to.

It didn't take much of this before the veteran began to breathe hard. It was much more of a workout than Jee had counted on, and as much as he may have been able to sustain this sort of fight months ago, those months spent in a prison cell with barely enough room to move had clearly taken their toll.

"Why are you attacking me?!" Aang shouted while deflecting another fire blast, "I didn't do anything to you!"

"You did plenty!" Jee snapped. In truth, he wasn't sure why he was attacking the Avatar. He certainly didn't expect to win. Maybe it was just a wild impulse for revenge? "He earned my respect, and you went and got him killed then put a usurper on his throne!"

"What are you talking about?! I didn't get anyone killed!"

"Oh?" Jee momentarily halted his assault, making Aang look at him warily, folded glider-staff at the ready to strike away another blast, "And what happened to those soldiers at the North Pole?" he continued a little more quietly, catching his breath, "You think they died of old age or a giant fish monster you controlled?"

"I—" the airbender looked down slightly, marginally dropping his guard, "That was the Ocean Spirit. I did what I had to, to save the North Pole."

"Good men died up there, Avatar. I did my best to save those I could, but I couldn't save enough to make up for what you did."

Aang's eyes met his, resolve formed in them, "If Zhao hadn't attacked, I wouldn't have had to do it."

Jee snorted, "I guess that much is true, but you didn't have to summon a monster to get Zuko killed, did you? You just had to show your face."

"What?" the airbender boy looked thoroughly confused now, all pretense at guarding fled, "Zuko's not dead, he's my friend!"

"Oh right, and he's going to drop out of the sky right now and tell me the last twelve hours have been a dream." Jee snarled sarcastically. As if to check, the Avatar looked up, and the veteran had sufficiently caught his breath. He took the distraction to launch a fireball straight at that innocent face—

--and a shaggy-headed youth in typical Fire Nation dark red, gold, and black flipped down out of the sky, leg trailing fire, and intercepted Jee's fire blast, dissipating it with no effort. The newcomer landed in a low crouch, and Jee caught a glimpse of a golden eye and a dark scowl before the young man quickly swept his legs out from under him. Jee landed hard, face-down on the steel deck, wincing as he felt his arm wrenched behind his back and a knee pressing down in the middle of it. He could feel the hot breath in his ear as an eerily familiar voice snarled: "Are you causing trouble on my ship, Lieutenant?"

Jee froze. He knew he knew that voice, but disbelief kept its place from clicking in his brain. _It couldn't be . . . she said he was dead!_

"I'm going to let you up slowly, and you're not going to attack anyone else, or I will throw you overboard myself. Is that clear, Lieutenant?" the young man's authoritative voice could be denied nothing, especially when he spoke threats the same way a lesser man might hold a normal conversation.

Jee tried to nod, but the deck plating pressed firmly to his cheek got in the way. "Yes, sir," he finally managed to croak uncomfortably. One didn't call someone with a voice like that anything less.

"Good."

True to his word, the pressure slowly eased from Jee's back and arm, and the old veteran cautiously stood before turning around to face the mild scowl of his assailant. The young man had affected a military stance beside the relieved-looking Avatar, arms clasped behind his back like a general would do while inspecting his troops. In spite of his shaggy black hair and nearly common cut of his clothes, he radiated authority like one born to it. Hit with the almost palpable aura of displeasure, it took Jee a second to realize that the golden glare directed at him was slightly mismatched: the shaggy hair was obscuring a very distinctive red scar around his left eye.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Zuko said to the open-mouthed Jee and arched his good eyebrow, the aura of displeasure dissipating slightly.

The veteran just continued gaping as the flying bison lowed from the deck somewhere behind him where it'd landed. The Avatar grinned stupidly in the bison's direction, then turned to Zuko and said, "That makes sense, since he thought you were dead for some reason. I . . . think you guys need to talk. I'll be over there if you need me," and with that, the young airbender zipped off to join his friends climbing (and in one case flipping) down from his bison. Glancing after the boy quickly, Jee could see several figures, including a vaguely familiar boy in Water Tribe blue and the blind girl in green from that afternoon's hearing.

Zuko glanced at Aang and blinked, then looked back at Jee thoughtfully before turning his face to the slightly smug-looking Mai drinking tea at the edge of the deck. "Did you actually tell him I was dead?"

"No," she replied, "I just said you weren't the Fire Prince anymore. He jumped to his own conclusions right after the hearing, it looks like." As she was explaining this, the little dragon popped its head up from behind Mai's shoulder and let out a little squeak, taking wing and making its winding, snakelike way over to Zuko. It wrapped itself around his torso, foreclaws resting on his shoulder and face nuzzling his scarred cheek, growling happily.

Zuko chuckled, though it was uncertain whether it was at Mai's or the dragon's antics, and reached up a hand to pet the beast, "It's good to see you, too, Fang." Zuko's attention then shifted back to Jee, who was completely dumbfounded, "So, how long has Mai been leading you on? I wasn't planning on sending for you until I got back from Kyoshi."

Jee's brain barely registered the question, and his mouth kept gaping.

"You know, you look a lot like a fish when you do that. Maybe even a wooly rhino eel. I expect an answer someday, Lieutenant."

Jee finally got the hint and snapped his jaw shut. Were his jaws already sore? "A few hours ago, sir. The warden brought me by as soon as he could."

Zuko grimaced slightly, "I'll make sure to thank him for that when he gets reassigned. I guess I've got to learn to be more specific about times and places. Any suggestions for where I should send him?"

The grey-haired veteran blinked slightly in surprise, "You're reassigning him just for that?"

"No, I'm closing the fort and retracting all troops from the Earth Kingdom. With the war over, there's no need for it anymore."

"Oh, in that case," Jee gained a thoughtful look and a slight smile, "I guess I'll have to think about it."

"He was really that bad, huh?"

"That little vindictive toady would've licked Zhao's boots and thanked him for the privilege. Probably did, too."

The young man snorted a laugh, "I thought as much when I met him earlier."

Jee shook his head slightly in amazement, "Is it really you, Prince Zuko?" he asked, still in shock.

"Yeah, it is. And it's Firelord Zuko now, if you don't mind."

"Of course, my Lord!" Jee suddenly realized that he hadn't properly greeted the new Firelord, and quickly fell to his knees, head down in a groveling posture. His aging joints really weren't that comfortable with this position or his haste to get there, "Please, forgive my impertinence."

"Oh, get up, Lieutenant. Do I look like I'm concerned with etiquette at the moment? I'm not even wearing my robes or crown!" The baby dragon doing its best to affectionately burrow itself into his neck certainly did nothing for the Firelord's air of formality, either.

Jee looked up from his prostrate position and had to admit the young ruler had a point. "Thank you, sir," he slowly stood back up, one or two joints creaking in relief, and gave Zuko an appraising look. "You've changed," he observed simply.

Zuko gave a genuine half-smile, and for some reason, it didn't seem so alien to that face. In spite of the ugly scar, the young man almost looked handsome and good-natured when he smiled. "Yeah, I have. It's good to see you again, Jee."

Jee snapped a salute, "It's good to be seen, sir."

"So, tell me," the young man asked, cutting to the chase, "did you get a good look at the ship while you were waiting?"

"Yes, your . . ." Jee searched for the right word to describe Mai, "uh, lady-friend Mai graciously gave me the grand tour, then we had a conversation on deck until you arrived. Although why she led me to believe you were dead instead of in charge is still confusing me," with that, they both turned their heads to regard Mai still sipping her tea.

The young woman feigned innocence, "It was more interesting that way."

"You gotta agree with her there," Zuko chuckled.

"Guess so."

"So, did you like what you saw? The ship, I mean."

"Very much, sir. She's an excellent vessel, truly worthy of bearing the Firelord."

"On your tour, did you notice anything in particular missing from the ship?"

Jee contemplated the question for a second, turning back to Zuko, "Well, a good portion of the crew isn't here, but Miss Mai said they were mainly on shore leave."

"Hmm," Zuko looked thoughtful, "Yes and no. A good portion of the crew's missing, but they're not on shore leave. I wanted to come here with people I knew I could trust beyond a doubt. I'm . . . not exactly popular with some of the military higher-ups at the moment. Those guys still think my father's megalomaniacal plans were genius, even if they involved genocide on a global scale and long-term occupation we never could have sustained."

Jee certainly understood that sort of mindset, "Glory hounds."

Zuko nodded, "A few of them would give quite a lot to take advantage of an unguarded moment out at sea or something like that, which is why I need people on this boat whose loyalty is unquestionable. Pickings have been slim, so far, though lots of soldiers have been eager to come."

Putting two and two together, the veteran was starting to draw suspicions, "So you were testing my loyalty today, weren't you?"

Zuko shrugged, "It sort of turned out that way, but that's not exactly what I intended when I came here," his face turned thoughtful, "It was pretty convenient you hadn't heard who I was by then, actually . . ."

"Then what _did_ you intend?" Jee asked, ignoring the serendipity of the last comment.

"An offer," the scarred young man stated simply, "Your loyalty was never in question after I went over your records from here, but it was certainly nice to see it proven," the corner of his mouth twitched, "Did you really mean what you said earlier up there?"

"Every word."

"And you like this ship."

"No sailor wouldn't, my Lord."

"Then it's yours."

Jee blinked, "Excuse me?"

"I'd like to re-instate your commission and give you a promotion, Lieutenant. And command of this ship. I'm currently missing a captain, among other things, though if you'd rather just retire completely, I understand. Either way, you would officially be under no disgrace."

The former lieutenant was dumbfounded again. This felt like a habit lately. "I don't know what to say," he managed finally, "You'd make me the captain?"

"Or commander, or even admiral, if you really want. I can do that, you know. But as a captain, you'll only be expected to command one ship, and as captain of this ship, you answer only to me," he smirked knowingly, "It'll be like old times, except we'll actually be allowed home. How does that sound?"

"Like an offer I'd be a fool to refuse. It would be an honor to serve you again, sir," Jee bowed formally, and Zuko nodded respectfully in response and smiled.

"I'm glad," the former prince's voice had softened considerably from its earlier threatening tone. He had certainly mellowed from the angry, if ultimately honorable, young man Jee had been forced to bid farewell to seven months ago. Having gotten a taste of his current speed and power, the veteran would also have to say he'd gotten to be a much stronger bender, too, in terms of both raw power and control. Jee could only begin to imagine what had caused the dramatic change, but he figured he'd have plenty of time to figure it out.

"So is it true what they say?" Jee couldn't help but ask.

"Depends what they say," Zuko snorted.

"Did you really teach the Avatar firebending? Are you really descended from Avatar Roku? Did he really put you on the throne? And how in the world did you get a dragon? Aren't they extinct?" there were so many more questions from those gossips earlier today, but Jee settled for the ones that bugged him most.

"Yes, on my mother's side, and maybe," Zuko answered without preamble, "I sought him out specifically to train him in firebending and help him defeat my father, but Aang became my first real friend ever, too. It was honestly more than a little weird after spending so long trying to capture him and bring him home like some sort of trophy. Without his help and the help of my other friends, I wouldn't have made it to my throne, but he didn't exactly put me there. I won it myself and legitimately," he smiled wryly at the older man, "As for your last two questions, like with most things in my life, the story's rather complicated. We should have plenty of time to catch up on things later, though. I'll have someone show you to your new quarters so you can get ready before dinner. You will be joining us, won't you . . . Captain Jee?"

The new captain smiled warmly, "Of course, Firelord Zuko."


End file.
